Raventale
by Midnathething
Summary: It was their curiosity that brought them up the mountain, a poorly placed root that made them fall, and their magic that let them survive. Magical!Frisk AU
1. Chapter 1, Fallen

**Author's Note: Because why not rewrite Undertale with a magical Frisk? This fic originally started with the question "What if Frisk was more like a Ravenclaw," and then my mind wandered. I'll admit right now that other than a few vague ideas, I don't have much more planned than the Ruins, but I wanted to upload this before I lost the files or something.**

 **For the record, this fic won't actually have Harry Potter characters in it but it _will_ use terms from the Harry Potter series. Characters may be mentioned though.**

 **-Midnathething**

Cautiously, Frisk peered into the gaping hole in the mountain. They _knew_ that they shouldn't be there, the legends were clear enough about _that_ , but they'd just been so curious and here they were. Did monsters really live under the mountain? Their current foster parent, a Squib with a strong distaste for magicals, seemed to think so.

The child shook their head. They were already in trouble for accidental magic earlier that day, staying out too late would only get them in _more_ trouble... It would be a long hike down the mountain and they'd need to leave soon if they wanted even a sliver of a chance of getting home in time. The child turned to leave but found themselves stumbling when their foot caught on a root.

With a startled yelp, Frisk took a few steps backwards in an attempt to stabilize themselves, forgetting about the gaping maw behind them for a few moments. They immediately found themselves wishing that they had just scrapped their knee because instead of falling a few feet they found themselves tumbling into the hole with a panicked wail.

The child's mind shut down for a few moments, leaving them with nothing but blind panic and the knowledge that they were probably about to _die_. The ground, they realized, was rapidly approaching. Before Frisk had even fully processed this realization their magic seized a hold of their body. They bounced, once, twice, then landed in a bed of golden flowers, breathing frantic and uneven.

The child took a few gasping breaths before they lost consciousness.

. . .

When Frisk regained consciousness they found themselves laying somewhere surprisingly soft. Where were they? The child sat up, groggily rubbing their eyes while they looked around. Everything rushed back at once, getting in trouble for an incident with accidental magic, running away, deciding to explore the mountain, finding the hole, falling... Frisk gasped quietly. How had they survived?

Their eyes widened as they looked around. The room was dimly lit, the sun's rays struggling to reach deep into the mountain, making it difficult to see anything other than the bed of golden flowers they were laying on. In the dim lighting they could make out the vague shape of a tunnel leading further into the mountain. A quick glance around the room as they pushed themselves to their feet revealed that it was the only way to go.

Frisk took a couple calming breaths, wincing when bruises on their back pulled uncomfortably, grabbed a stick - conveniently close to wand size - that lay near where they'd fallen, and began to move towards the tunnel. When they reached a wall they leaned on it, using it to help them regain their balance and guide their path while their eyes adjusted to the darkness. A beautifully carved doorway came into view and the child paused to take in the sight.

"Guess something lives down here after all." They murmured to themselves before continuing

The next room was surprisingly bright and Frisk moved a hand to shield their eyes. They stopped, giving their eyes time to adjust.

"Howdy!" A small voice chirped.

Frisk tensed, searching for the source of the voice. Their brow furrowed in confusion when they found it. A... Small yellow flower?


	2. Chapter 2, Howdy

**Author's Note: I'll mention right now that this story uses gender neutral pronouns when referring to Frisk. If you don't like this substitute the pronouns with the ones you prefer because Frisk will be referred to this way for the whole story. On a completely unrelated note I have no idea what the upload schedule for this will be, but I already have chapter three written and most of chapter four done. Chapter three will probably be up at some point two days from now.**

 **Also, if you like the story feel free to drop a review! Even something short like "Neat," will make me smile.  
**

 **-Midnathething**

"I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower!" The golden flower paused, looking Frisk over before humming. "You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?"

Frisk nodded weakly.

"Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here." The flower's smile seemed to grow. Frisk fought off a wave of distrust. "I guess little old me will have to do."

The flower locked eyes with Frisk for a moment, it's leafs shaking with... Excitement, maybe? "Ready? Here we go!"

There was a strange tugging sensation that made Frisk squirm uncomfortably before a glowing red heart appeared in front of the child. They must have, Frisk realized, done something to let their awe show because the flower beamed.

"See that heart? That is your Soul, the very culmination of your being!" Flowey began to bounce cheerfully to a beat Frisk couldn't hear, "Your Soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV."

The child's face scrunched in confusion. What was LV? Was it an acronym for something?

Flowey giggled. "What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?"

Frisk nodded again, tentatively this time. It made sense that love would be shortened to LV.

"Don't worry, I'll share some with you!" The flower winked, poking it's tongue out for a second before continuing, "Down here, LOVE is shared through... Little white... 'friendliness pellets.'" Five spinning white pellets began floating behind the plant, looking oddly ominous for something that had "friendliness" in the name.

Frisk felt another flash of distrust that they couldn't explain. Had Flowey's pauses caused the distrust? Frisk hoped not, the plant had already implied that it wasn't very good at explaining the ways on the underground to strangers. They didn't want to upset Flowey, not when he was being so helpful.

"Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!" As the pellets began to slowly float towards them the child nodded.

The pellets began to pick up speed as they got closer and, for the second time that day, Frisk's magic seized control of their body, flinging it - along with their soul - out of the way. Frisk heard the sound of screaming before it had fully processed that _they_ were the one screaming. Flushing with embarrassment at this realization they clapped their hands over their mouth, silencing the sound.

Flowey watched them closely, a curious glint in the plant's dark eyes. Once Frisk was certain they'd regained control of their vocal cords they awkwardly cleared their throat. "I'm sorry about that, I'm... Not sure what happened there."

They were lying, of course, but not because they wanted to. They were fully aware that it had been their magic, but they weren't sure if Flowey was. Frisk wanted to tell him, but they didn't know if he knew and they weren't about to break the Statute of Secrecy for the plant. Even if he was somehow _alive_ , despite being a plant.

The flower bobbed thoughtfully, expression clouding and becoming unreadable. "That's alright, how about we try again? I might have an idea about what happened but we'll need to test it."

Frisk nodded, watching in fascination as five more pellets began to spin behind the plant. This time they gained speed more quickly, beginning to pick up speed before they'd even began to move. When the pellets began moving towards them their magic hurled their body out of the way again. Wincing, the child got to their feet again.

"Tell me, uh, human - What's your name? - Have you heard of magic?" Flowey looked slightly embarrassed when he realized that he didn't know Frisk's name.

There was a moment of panic where they floundered between telling Flowey the truth or lying again. After a pause which they'd filled by humming thoughtfully, pretending to consider the question, they decided on a half-truth. "I've heard of magic," They answered carefully, "But only in the context of card tricks or coin tricks, things like that." There was another pause. "Oh, and it's Frisk! My name, I mean."

Flowey's expression flickered to one of suspicion for a moment - did he know that they hadn't told the whole truth? - before shifting back to his usual cheerful expression. "Those? Those aren't magic, those are slights of hand, parlor tricks. But that doesn't mean magic _isn't_ real, I think you've got some in fact!"

Frisk felt them-self freeze, expression shifting to one of confusion. "Really? How can you tell?" Did Flowey have magic himself? And if he did did it work differently than theirs? Probably, but wouldn't they have noticed if he'd used magic to see if they had any themselves? Unless he'd noticed when their magic had moved them out of the way of the pellets...

"Oh, that was easy!" Flowey answered, smile growing. "I just watched your Soul."

Frisk blinked, then frowned in confusion.

"You're wondering what that has to do with me figuring out you had magic, aren'tcha?" The plant asked, giggling. "Souls react to magic, so I thought yours might react when you _used_ magic! Lucky guess, huh?"

"And I was using magic when I moved?" Frisk murmured before shaking their head. That was what Flowey had _said_.

The plant seemed just as exasperated with their question as they were. "Well, of course. Your magic reacted to a potential threat, in this case that was the bull- Friendliness pellets, and moved you."

Nodding, Frisk bit their lip. What had Flowey been about to say before he'd cut himself off? It sounded an awful lot like 'bullets'... The uncertainty and distrust that the child had been attempting to fight off were returning.

The plant seemed to notice their returning distrust too, because he opened his mouth to say something else. Whatever it was he was going to say was cut off by fire.

Frisk screamed.


	3. Chapter 3, Practice

**Author's Note: Something I wanted to elaborate on, just to get it out of the way: In chapter two Frisk notices that Flowey seems suspicious after they lie (tell a half-truth) about their magic. This is because he is actually fully aware that they were lying. He has, after all, had countless Resets before Frisk fell into the Underground to get to know** _ **everyone**_ **, including Sans. He probably figured out how to know when someone was lying pretty quickly.**

 **Also; Enter, Goat Mom!**

 **-Midnathething**

The fire died down and Flowey was nowhere to be seen. Frisk felt a flash of concern; had that attack killed the poor plant? Through the haze of shock and fear Frisk noticed that their soul had vanished, returning to their chest and pulsing with a comforting warmth. When had they begun to get cold?

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." A gentle voice murmured from nearby.

Frisk turned towards the voice, questions about where they were and where the fire had come from and what the stranger meant about torturing a youth and what was happening on the tip of their tongue, only for their voice to die in their throat. A goat-like creature stood - On it's hind legs! - where the voice had come from. It was, Frisk absentmindedly noted, wearing a dress. With a flash of fear, Frisk realized that this must be another monster. Had _she_ attacked Flowey?

Seeing the fear in Frisk's eyes, the monster gave a gentle smile. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place everyday to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time."

The monster's motherly tone was comforting and some of their fear began to subside. Frisk gave Toriel a tentative smile. Their stomach abruptly rumbled, making them aware of just how _hungry_ they'd become. How long had they been unconscious after falling?

There was a flash of concern in Toriel's eyes. "Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Frisk nodded. "This way."

The monster turned and began walking, leading Frisk towards a doorway that they hadn't noticed before. Flowey had taken all of their attention when they'd entered the room earlier. Shaking their head to clear their thoughts, Frisk began following Toriel. The next room revealed fallen leaves and the entrance to the ruins, looming ominously above them. Frisk felt a surge of determination and smiled.

They jumped when they noticed the glowing yellow spot - point? - that now spun at their feet.

Frisk shot Toriel a confused frown, questions about the strange glowing spot darting around their mind. She offered no answers - She didn't even look at the spinning light, it was like she couldn't see it - and, instead, gave them an encouraging smile. Although they wanted to know more about the strange glowing point they forced their curiosity aside. Maybe they could find something about it in a book or ask Toriel about it later, when they were somewhere safe and had had something to eat. Frisk began following Toriel again.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Toriel began with a smile. She proceeded to step on four switches and flip a switch, opening a door that had been sealed shut. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

Frisk nodded, feeling a small smile return to their face. They'd always liked puzzles! Beginning to hum a cheerful tune, Frisk followed Toriel into the next room.

"To make progress here," Toriel explained as Frisk looked around the room, "You will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip." She added when she noticed Frisk's concerned frown.

There wasn't anything that they immediately saw to help them solve the puzzle, so this news made them feel somewhat better. They followed Toriel into the room, pausing to read a sign in the room that instructed them to stay on the path.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little one." Toriel called when they flipped the switches she had marked. The sign made much more sense when they realized that the switches that had needed flipped were on the path, while the fake switch was not.

The two moved into the next room at Toriel's prompting, bringing a training dummy into view. Frisk blinked. "Excuse me, Toriel, what's that for?" They asked quietly.

The goat monster gave a sad sigh. "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation." Frisk gave a gentle 'oh,' in response, hand tightening around their stick.

"However, worry not!" Toriel exclaimed, seeing Frisk's dismay. "The process is very simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict." She gave Frisk an encouraging smile. "Practice talking to the dummy."

Frisk nodded, giving a quiet "Okay," and walked up to the dummy. The strange tugging feeling nagged at their chest and their soul appeared again. This was, Frisk realized with a grim frown, a fight.

Was that why Toriel had thought Flowey was tormenting them? Because he'd been explaining a fight to them? Frisk's frown grew. Why had Flowey needed to initiate a fight to explain it? They could have been hurt! The plant's slip up, where he'd called the "friendliness pellets" bullets, played in their mind again. Had Flowey _wanted_ to hurt them?

Frisk suddenly jumped, forced out of their thoughts by the dummy _floating_ away from them, ending the fight. Their soul returned to their chest with a comforting flush or warmth.

Toriel seemed to be at a loss for word for a few seconds. She awkwardly cleared her throat, then cheerfully exclaimed, "The next room awaits!"


	4. Chapter 4, Independence

**Author's Note: This is the last chapter that will really explain room by room what's going on, because pretty much everyone knows how the Ruins are set up and rewriting Undertale room by room would be** _ **boring**_ **.**

 **-Midnathething**

Frisk followed Toriel with a small smile that grew when she mentioned that there would be a puzzle in the room. Humming thoughtfully, Frisk examined a sign on the wall with a frown. _"The western room is the eastern room's blueprint."_ The message sounded like their hint for the puzzle, but... Shaking their head, Frisk turned to examine the western room again. Instead, they froze, gasping in quiet surprise. A small frog-like monster had gotten close to them while they were distracted. The uncomfortable tugging sensation returned and Frisk's soul appeared in front of them again, signaling the beginning of a fight.

Toriel's words about friendly conversation echoed in Frisk's mind, prompting the child to blurt the first thing that came to mind, "Your, uh, spots are very pretty. They contrast nicely with your skin."

The monster clearly hadn't understood what they'd said but it seemed flattered anyway. After the monster had used a halfhearted attack on the child (a tiny, magic frog had jumped at their soul) it proceeded to meow. Hearing the noise, Toriel turned to investigate what was going on. One glare from her had the frog monster making a hasty retreat. The two began walking again.

They stopped when Toriel abruptly paused, Frisk stumbling to keep them-self from running into the goat monster. Peering around the tall monster revealed a spiked bridge over water of an indeterminable depth. Frisk was willing to _bet_ that this was the puzzle. Frisk bit their lip, realizing that they hadn't been able to investigate the west room again like they'd intended. They weren't sure they could solve the puzzle without going back. A small frown formed on the child's face as they debated asking Toriel if they could go back to investigate the other room or risking it and trying to weave their way around the spikes. If the luck they'd had so far today was any sort of indication, they'd probably fall if they tried the later option.

Toriel seemed to notice their growing distress. "This is the puzzle, but..." The monster trailed off. "Here, take my hand." She instructed after a moment of silence.

Shrugging, Frisk let Toriel take the hand that wasn't holding their stick. She guided them through the spikes, expression fond, and Frisk found themselves smiling. When they reached the other side of the spikes Toriel let the child reclaim their hand with a quiet, "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

The two stepped into the next room and Toriel stopped again, "You have done excellently thus far, my child. However... I have a difficult request to ask of you." She paused, taking a deep breath as if to prepare herself for whatever it was she intended to say. "I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this." Before Frisk had a chance to respond, the monster had run off, towards the other side of the room.

Frisk blinked. What had that been about? What was Toriel talking about? They shook themselves out of their thoughts and followed the goat monster's path down the hallway, carefully watching for other monsters to avoid conflict. Chewing their lip anxiously, Frisk wondered if there was some sort of trap in the room. Would Toriel betray them like Flowey had been intending to? They really hoped not.

The other side of the room came into view - and who had such long hallways? Why? - along with a pale pillar that seemed out of place in all of the purple. Maybe, Frisk thought with growing unease, Toriel was just hiding behind the pillar, having hidden to make sure Frisk _could_ get to the other end of the room by them-self. The odds of that, a voice in the back of their head argued, were extremely low. Frisk blinked back tears and ignored the voice.

They continued forward and paused. Toriel stepped out from behind the pillar, a comforting smile on her face. Her gaze flickered to a few stray tears that had escaped the child's eyes and she gently called, "Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time." The goat-like monster gently wiped the tears from Frisk's cheeks. "Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exorcise."

Frisk tilted their head in silent curiosity.

Identifying the non-verbal question, Toriel answered, "To test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." Her expression lit up. "I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call." She carefully passed the device to Frisk.

Smiling, Frisk murmured a quiet, "Thank you." To the goat monster.

Toriel beamed, "Be good, alright?" When Frisk nodded she turned and left the room.

. . .

Frisk wasn't sure how much time had passed. Their phone, inconveniently enough, didn't have a built in clock and it was difficult to tell how much time had passed underground. The child had tried passing the time by drawing in the dirt but that had quickly gotten boring, they'd practiced a small amount of magic to see if the stick would make a suitable mock-wand (it did), and they'd spoken a bit with the frog monster Toriel had scared away earlier (it still didn't understand the majority of what they said).

They were now out of ideas and there was no sign that Toriel would be back anytime soon. Frisk thought over Toriel's instructions to stay put again and shook their head. Surely Toriel wouldn't be upset with them for progressing through the Ruins as long as they were safe, right? Mind made up, Frisk turned and walked through the doorway.


	5. Chapter 5, Cinnamon

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter, but I like to end them where it feels** _ **right**_ **. Sometimes that takes more time, sometimes it takes less. I guess it was less this time. I also wanted to thank Black Phantom Murder for leaving a review! It helps me know what you guys think about the story when you do.**

 **I'll stop rambling now.**

 **-Midnathething**

Frisk had just stepped into the next room when their phone began to ring. They answered it quickly, blinking in surprise when they heard Toriel's voice. "Hello. This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?"

Startled, because _how did she know_ , Frisk stammered a quick, "No." In response.

"There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them yourself." She explained, voice tinted with concern.

The child felt a flash of something - Dismay? Rebelliousness? Irritation? - and answered with a quick, "Alright." Did Toriel not think they could take care of themselves? They were smart enough to solve a few puzzles on their own!

"Be good, alright?"

"Okay, bye Toriel." Frisk answered. The line went dead with a click and Frisk tucked the phone back into their pocket. They were kind of surprised that it worked - Between being underground and having magic, which never seemed to get along with electricity, they hadn't quite expected it to. Maybe monsters had found a way around that quirk of magic?

Now that their phone was out of the way, they had a chance to examine the room. There were two doors, one at the end of the hall and one next to them, a frog monster that watched them with mild interest, and a pile of leafs. It took Frisk all of two seconds to decide to charge and jump into the leaf pile, resonant laughter echoing in the halls of the Ruins. For a few moments all they did was playfully crinkle through the leafs, content smile firmly set on their face. They were left feeling both satisfied and determined.

Another spinning yellow point appeared at their feet. Frisk glanced at the frog monster, wondering if they could ask it about the points. "Excuse me, human." The frog croaked, noticing that Frisk's gaze had settled on it. The child blinked and approached the monster. "I have some advice for you about battling monsters."

Frisk's eyes widened. "Really?" They suspected that, unlike the training dummy, most monsters wouldn't leave them alone if they tried boring them into submission.

The frog-like creature bobbed. "If you act a certain way or fight until you almost defeat them they might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you, please, use some mercy, human."

Frisk gave the monster a determined nod, questions about the spinning yellow point forgotten. Conversation with the monster finished, they poked their head into the nearby room. They spotted a bowl of candy and, after reading the note in front of the bowl, took a piece with a smile. Tucking the candy into their pocket, they continued through the Ruins. After passing through another room (which, to their dismay, involved falling through a weak spot in the floor) their phone began to ring again.

Frisk smiled, recognizing the number. "Hello."

"Hello? This is Toriel." The goat monster's voice answered. "For no reason in particular... Which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?"

Humming, Frisk took a moment to seriously consider the question. Butterscotch was okay, but they'd take cinnamon candy over butterscotch any day. "Cinnamon!"

The child could almost see Toriel's smile at these words. "Oh, I see. Thank you very much!"

Hurt feelings from earlier fading, Frisk began walking again. They had only taken a few steps when their phone began to ring again. Giggling, Frisk answered their phone. "Hi!"

"Hello? This is Toriel. You do not dislike butterscotch, do you?" She questioned, tone thoughtful. "I know what your preference is, but..." She trailed off for a moment. "Would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?"

Frisk smiled. "Nope, I like both."

"Right, right. I understand." After a moment, Toriel added, "Thank you for being patient, by the way."

Wincing, Frisk felt a flash of guilt as they heard Toriel hang up. Their smile fell as they solved the puzzle in the room. They... Felt really bad now. Had she _really_ expected Frisk to stay put though? They hoped not. Tucking their phone back into their pocket again, they continued forward.


	6. Chapter 6, Ghost Fight

**Author's Note: Bet most of you didn't think this would be up today! Though, with time zones being a thing it probably wasn't for some of you. This was uploaded later than normal because I had _no_ motivation to edit. Meh. **

**Warning: Bad pun inbound!**

 **-Midnathething**

Frisk passed through a few more rooms, in which they had encountered more monsters and a talking rock (that was probably also a monster), before they reached a room with a mouse hole and a table with cheese stuck to it. The idea of the mouse one day reaching the cheese filled them with determination and another yellow point spun into existence. Frisk frowned and poked at the point with their magic, yelping when their magic returned feeling warm - like when their soul returned to their body after a fight - and healed their injuries.

That would be useful to remember.

Mind now filled with _even more_ questions about the spinning points, Frisk passed through the door at the other end of the room. They were greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a cartoon ghost. Maybe, Frisk mused, it was another monster. None of the ghosts they'd seen before they'd fallen - they'd only seen two, but that was enough to get a general idea of what the beings looked like - looked anything like the ghost in front of them, so the theory made sense. As they drew closer to the ghost they could hear it murmuring the letter "Z" repeatedly, as if it were attempting to imitate the sound of snoring.

"Excuse me," Frisk quietly asked, multiple questions already floating about their mind. "Could you, erm, wake up? I had a few questions and..." They trailed off, realizing that the monster was ignoring them.

Instead of acknowledging their attempt at conversation it continued to murmur the letter "Z," though Frisk thought they heard the ghost ask if "they" (Who "they" were, Frisk wasn't sure) were gone yet.

Realizing that they probably wouldn't get any answers from the ghost, Frisk shook their head and prepared to continue deeper into the Ruins. Only to realize that, somehow, the ghost was blocking the _whole_ path. Frowning, Frisk returned their gaze to the ghost. "Excuse me," they asked again, "Could you please move?" The human experimentally tried poking the ghost.

As expected, their hand passed through the monster. The monster seemed quite surprised, jerking into an upright position and into the air, expression gloomy. With a tug that Frisk was beginning to grow familiar with their soul appeared in front of them, signaling the beginning of a battle. The ghost stared off into the distance.

Frisk tapped their lips with the end of their stick, taking a moment to think. After moving their stick to nervously tap their hip, they gave the ghost a patient smile. In response, it murmured a quiet, "Heh," Magical tears slipping from its eyes in an accidental attack. Frisk twirled out of the way of the majority of the tears, although one made contact with their arm.

They winced, but kept their smile in place. "So," They began tentatively, "Do you know where ghosts go to mail their letters?" The ghost blinked and Frisk took this as a cue to continue the joke, "The _ghost_ office!"

It was a bad pun but the ghost laughed quietly. Instead of attacking, the words, "Really not feelin' up to it right now. Sorry." Appeared in front of the ghost. Frisk's smile remained in place. "There's something I'd like to show you, if you don't mind..." Their smile grew. "Let me try..." The ghost began shedding magical tears again, but this time they floated upwards, taking the shape of a top-hat. "I call it 'Dapperblook.' Do you like it...?" The ghost trailed off nervously.

Frisk was beaming now. "That's so cool! I love it!"

"Oh gee," The ghost murmured, "I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around... But today I met somebody nice... Oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way." The ghost began to fade.

"Wait!" Frisk called. The fading paused. "Before you go, what's your name?"

The ghost seemed surprised by this question. "Oh, most people don't ask... I'm Napstablook." Napstablook, having answered Frisk's question, completely faded out of sight.

Smile still in place, Frisk continued further into the Ruins, stopping to get a doughnut from some friendly spiders along the way. They stopped when their phone began to ring again.

"Hi, Toriel!" They chirped when they answered their phone.

Toriel laughed, the sound happy and warm. "Hello, my child. I just realized that it has been a while since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon," She admitted. "There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that."

"Alright," Frisk confirmed, clicking their phone shut. They passed into the next room and stopped.

There were spikes blocking what was obviously the path forward and no switches to flip in sight. Looking around the room revealed that there were six weak spots in the floor. Remembering the previous weak floored rooms with a wince, Frisk sighed. It looked like they'd be hopping down some holes.


	7. Chapter 7, Greetings

**Author's Note: Didn't upload yesterday because this needed revised and I had zero motivation. Here's the chapter though!**

 **-Midnathething  
**

The holes weren't so bad now that Frisk knew what to expect. It helped that they had used their magic to bounce instead of landing with a 'thump.' In one hole they had found Napstablook, who mentioned falling, and spoke with him for a bit before he retreated again. In another they'd found a faded ribbon, which they were now using as a make-shift wand holster. After climbing out of _that_ hole they were attacked by some sort of vegetable and bug monster.

They quickly discovered that talking didn't work with _either_ monster, the vegetable monster mocking them and the bug monster ignoring them altogether. Frisk was, to their dismay, beginning to get tired from dodging the monsters' attacks and getting hit more and more. A final magic bullet hit them and they fell to the ground with a pained gasp. The last thing they saw was their own soul shattering. Everything went dark.

. . .

 _Frisk awoke to darkness. They couldn't feel their magic, they couldn't feel their soul, they couldn't feel_ _ **anything**_ _. It terrified them. The beginnings of panic were nagging at the edges of their mind and in order to fight it off they forced themselves to stop and think. What had happened before they'd ended up here?_

 _They had been in a room with spikes, looking for a switch, and they'd been attacked by two monsters... They hadn't been able to talk their way out of the situation and had taken multiple hits... They'd fallen down and they'd seen their soul shatter. But if their soul, the very culmination of their being, had been destroyed-_

 _"Ugh, quit being such a drama queen." Another voice dawdled._

 _Jerking to face the voice, Frisk was snapped out of their returning panic. A pale child in green and yellow stood in front of them, looking abnormally bored. "Wh- Who are you?"_

 _The child rolled their - Red! - eyes. "You're going to be as boring as the other humans, aren't you? Great." Their sarcasm was audible._

 _This only further scrambled Frisk's thoughts. What did the child mean when they mentioned 'Other humans?' Hadn't Toriel mentioned other humans too? Through their jumbled thoughts they responded, "I'm Frisk. But really, what's your name?"_

 _"You aren't going to ask about the other humans? Whatever." They sighed. "My name is Chara, since you're so curious."_

 _Frisk sighed too. "I mean, I am curious about them but I wanted to know your name." The darker haired child looked around. "Where are we, anyhow?"_

 _The other child, Chara, laughed. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? We aren't_ _ **anywhere**_ _."_

 _Frisk frowned, fighting off a glare._

 _"Fine, we're in the 'in between,' if you will. This where humans end up when they die in the Underground." At Frisk's startled expression they rolled their eyes again. "Through the power of Determination you can cheat death. The fact that you're here means that you've got a Save Point," They took a moment to look at Frisk who wiggled uncomfortably. Whatever Chara was doing had caused a brief, uncomfortable, prying sensation in their mind. "Those spinning yellow stars. You're only still here because you haven't Loaded yet."_

 _"Save Point, Loaded... This is sounding an awful lot like video game." Frisk muttered, processing the new information._

 _Chara crossed their arms, "Well those are the terms that work best, if you don't like them come up with new ones." They snapped, clearly irritated._

 _Frisk held their arms in front of them in a sign of non-hostility. "I didn't say they were_ _ **bad**_ _terms, I just said it makes this whole situation sound like a video game."_

 _"Whatever, just Load already!" They sighed._

 _Frisk gave Chara a blank stare. "I don't know how."_

 _The paler human groaned. "Oh, for the love of- Just think of the save point and your Determination."_

 _"Well, now that I know what to do..." Frisk followed Chara's instructions, blinking when the world around them began to fade. "Uh, see ya?"_

 _Chara rolled their eyes._

. . .

Frisk blinked. They were standing in the room with the cheese again. "I just died. And got better." Frisk's thoughts briefly drifted to the stories about Harry Potter.

 _"Yes, you did, get used to it."_ Chara's voice answered from their mind. _"Who the hell is Harry Potter?"_ They added as an after-thought.

"Ack- You're in my head!"

 _"Yes, I am. Again, who's Harry Potter?"_ Chara responded after what Frisk was certain was an eye roll from their mind.

The child groaned, plopping into a sitting position next to the table. Instead of speaking, they directed their thoughts towards Chara. _"Harry Potter was a wizard-"_

There was a flash of fury from Chara, _"A Wizard!?"_

 _"-Who basically saved the whole world by defeating Voldemort."_ Frisk continued, ignoring Chara's interruption. _"Voldemort was a dark wizard who wanted to kill people for not being from what he considered the 'right families.' Him and his minions avoided being arrested because most of them were from the 'right families' and worked in the government. Why don't you like wizards?"_

 _"I don't like people in general, Frisk, I just happen to dislike wizards more. They're the ones who trapped the monsters in the Underground!"_

Idly twirling the stick between their fingers, Frisk sighed. _"So you dislike all of the wizards for the actions of_ _ **those**_ _wizards? That seems unfair."_

 _"Life isn't fair."_ Chara snapped in response.

 _"Then I'm sure that you'll be thrilled to know,"_ Sparks began dancing between Frisk's fingers as they continued to twirl the stick, _"That I can do this."_

Chara shrieked.


	8. Chapter 8, Retracing Old Steps

**Author's Note: Whoops this took ages. Explanation: This did** _ **not**_ **want to be edited and I had no desire to dump some freshly written, unedited mess onto you guys while calling it a chapter.**

 **This chapter mentions Frisk taking about an hour to get back to where they were. This is an interpretation thing, because in the game you can get through the Ruins in 30 minutes. It would probably take longer in real time.**

 **-Midnathething**

Frisk winced. They hadn't known it was _possible_ to shriek in someone's mind. _"I guess I understated that, huh?"_

Shock and anger fading, Chara sighed. _"Well, I guess it's fitting that you're a wizard. Makes everything come full circle."_ Frisk frowned.

 _"Why?"_

 _"You'll find out why if you keep progressing through the Underground, trust me."_ Chara evaded.

 _"But that's not- Never mind..."_ Shaking their head, Frisk pushed themselves to their feet. They weren't thrilled that Chara was avoiding their question but they could tell that the other child had no intentions of answering it. Pushing for an answer would only waste time and upset Chara. _"So, you mentioned other humans. And getting used to dying. Could you elaborate about some of that, at least?"_

Chara seemed to shrug. _"A few humans fell into the Underground before you. I tagged along for their journeys and they ended up in the 'in between' when they died too."_

"So what happened to them?" Frisk questioned aloud, beginning to progress through the Ruins again. They paused in front a Napstablook. _"I'm going to have to do everything again, aren't I?"_

 _"Yup!"_ Chara snickered. _"As for those other humans? You don't want to know, Frisk, trust me."_

Frisk stalled. _That_ had some negative implications. _"... Oh."_

The next hour was spent getting back to where they'd been before they'd died. Along the way Chara had been kind enough to tell them the names of the various monsters they were running into. When Frisk reached the room with weak flooring again they headed straight for the weak flooring that would lead to the ribbon. They wanted their make-shift wand holster back.

 _"That is not a wand,"_ Chara pointed out, _"That is a stick."_

Frisk hummed to acknowledge that they'd heard Chara as they tied the ribbon around their arm again. After they'd tucked the wand ( _Stick!_ ) away they countered with a quiet, "Close enough."

 _"Not really, but whatever."_ Chara sounded resigned.

Frisk climbed out of the hole, went to talk with Napstablook again, and jumped down one of the three holes they hadn't fallen through the first time. They were delighted to see the switch. Pulling it, Frisk took a moment to smile in satisfaction as the sound of the spike trap deactivating reached their ears. They turned and groaned. _"They're back..."_

Chara's attention returned to what they were doing. _"Who?"_

They child winced. _"The monsters that I ran into last time. I couldn't talk them into leaving me alone and... Well, you know."_

 _"Oh, a Vegetoid and a Migosp._ _ **Those**_ _are what killed you? Really?"_ Disappointment and amusement tinted Chara's thoughts.

Frisk sighed, watching in dismay as their soul appeared in front of them again. _"I couldn't talk them out of fighting, it wasn't my fault."_

 _"That,"_ Frisk could feel Chara rolling their eyes again, _"Is because you don't deal with them that way. Since I'm assuming you don't want to kill them-"_

 _"No!"_

 _"You'll have to calm them down some other way. Get rid of the Vegetoid first"_ Chara explained.

"Alright..." Frisk idly rubbed at their stomach as they thought, still hungry.

The Vegetoid visibly reacted to this. "Eat your greens..." It murmured, vegetables and bugs beginning to fly at Frisk once again (For the first time? Time travel made verb tenses weird...). One of them, Frisk noted with interest, was green.

 _"Catch that one!"_ Chara instructed, Frisk's magic _twisting_ to throw them towards the green bullet. Some of their scrapes and bruises faded.

Frisk vaguely noticed the Vegetoid disappearing into the dirt, seemingly placated by Frisk catching the bullet. _"Di- Did you just..."_

Chara seemed equally stunned. _"I did stuff with your magic. Huh."_

 _"Please don't do that ever again. It felt... Wrong."_ They shuddered.

Returning their attention to the battle revealed that the Migosp had begun dancing. Frisk smiled and tentatively waved.

"Hiya~"

Frisk informed the monster that they wouldn't fight and it left with a cheerful wave. Forcing their thoughts away from Chara _using their magic_ , Frisk began to progress though the Ruins again. They frowned when they entered the next room.

 _"What?"_ Chara demanded, sounding genuinely curious.

 _"Can you feel that?"_ Frisk asked, shaking their head. _"This room is practically buzzing with magic. It's... Weird."_

There was a strange prodding feeling as Chara poked at their magic. _"Sort of? It's fuzzy."_

While Chara prodded at their magic ( _"You're doing it again." "No I'm not, I'm not moving you!"_ ) Frisk read a sign on the wall. _The far door is not a exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective._ The child shook their head, deciding that this was the weirdest room in the Ruins so far, beating out even the ridiculously long hallway. They walked to the other end of the room and passed through the door, quickly hopping over the spikes. Those were one trap they did _not_ want reactivating while they were standing on them.

The room lurched and Frisk's balance crumbled.

Chara reacted by spending the next few seconds filling Frisk's mind with a colorful assortment of profanities. _"What- What was that?"_ They eventually asked.

 _"A change in perspective?"_ Frisk shook their head then abruptly stopped, feeling vaguely nauseous. _"Were you still messing with my magic when that happened?"_

The feeling of Chara nodding was conveyed. _"I'm not touching that stuff ever again, that was_ _ **awful**_ _."_

Frisk hummed - perhaps "groaned" was a better word - in agreement and pushed themselves to their feet, looking around the room again now that it had stopped spinning. They frowned, realizing that some of the signs were impossible to read. _"Is that the magic in this room?"_ They asked Chara with a sigh, beginning to move towards the other side of the room again.

 _"Probably."_ Chara shrugged. _"I don't know much about how it works, it's not like I had any."_ After a pause they added, _"Look, there's the hint."_

 _If you can read this, press the blue switch._ Frisk nodded, then turned. "I can't see the switches anymore." They muttered, rubbing the side of their face to fight off a headache. Magic was weird. They were suddenly very glad that they had a good memory. They flipped the switch and passed through the doorway again. They were _not_ pleased when the earlier process repeated itself. With a sigh and dark muttering about what they would do if they ever ran into the monster who had designed the room Frisk repeated the process to more times, changing the color of the switch they flipped accordingly, before they were finally able to leave the magic room.

 _"Finally. I wasn't even touching your magic and that was disorienting."_ Chara muttered, the feeling of them shaking their head floating to Frisk.

Frisk quietly agreed and began walking again, choosing to follow what looked like an arrow made of leafs. A tree came into view and footsteps could be heard nearby.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." Toriel's voice murmured nervously. Frisk's phone began to ring and Toriel came into view. The goat-like monster ( _"That's a Boss Monster."_ Chara helpfully noted.) jumped in surprise and ran over to Frisk.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" She took a moment to look Frisk over, eyes widening with concern when she spotted the scrapes and bruises that green vegetable hadn't healed. "There, there, I will heal you." The monster kneeled in front of the child and waved a glowing green hand over Frisk's injuries. The small wounds faded in seconds.

Frisk's mouth formed an "O" Of surprise and awe.

Toriel got back to her feet. "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this..."

Blinking, Frisk responded with a quiet, "Like what?"

"Err..." Toriel blushed, processing what she'd said. "Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" The monster turned and began to head back the way she'd come.

Frisk followed her and smiled when a tidy house came into view. It filled them with determination. Another spinning star ( _"Save point!"_ ) spun into existence at their feet.


	9. Chapter 9, Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie

**Author's Note: We're just about done with Frisk's time in the Ruins! There will probably be two or three more chapters though. This will probably be one of the last chapters that's so game dialogue heavy, too! Hooray for progress!**

 **How were you guys' April firsts, by the way? Did any of you pull off an awesome prank? Did any of you get pranked ( _Get pranked on!_ )? Either way, I hope the day wasn't too bad for anyone.**

 **-Midnathething**

Frisk entered the house with a smile, looking around curiously. The scent of something baking filled the air, bathing the house in the smell of cinnamon and something else. Butterscotch, maybe? The room they were in was colored in an assortment of beiges and browns, making the room feel warm. It all added up to create a homey, comforting environment.

"Do you smell that?" Toriel asked with a smile. "Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival."

Frisk's smile grew and the child murmured a quiet, "Thank you."

"I want you to have a nice time living here." Frisk blinked. "So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."

 _"Living here...? That sounds kind of permanent. How long is she expecting me to stay?"_ Frisk asked Chara, biting their lip.

Toriel, oblivious to Frisk's growing anxiety, allowed her smile to grow. "Here, I have another surprise for you." The goat monster turned and led Frisk down a hallway. "This is it... A room of your own. I hope you like it!" She patted Frisk's head affectionately.

"Wow, thank you Toriel." Frisk's head was spinning. A room for them? It was nice but... They had to get back home.

"Is something burning...? Um, make yourself at home!" The goat monster dashed off, presumably in the direction of the kitchen.

Still chewing their lip, Frisk pushed the door to the room open and stepped inside. There was a flash of emotions from Chara, there and gone too quickly for Frisk to identify them. _"Does that answer your question, Frisk?"_

They nodded, looking around the room. It was a surprising pink with a soft looking bed in one corner and a lamp in the other. At the foot of the bed there was a box of toys that didn't interest Frisk and on top of the bookshelf was an empty photo frame. For some reason, to Frisk's dismay, the bookshelf was filled with toys instead of books. Frisk sighed quietly. _"Do you think Toriel will be upset if I take a nap? I'm kind of tired."_

 _"Go for it."_

Frisk hopped into the bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

. . .

When they woke up the lights were off and a piece of pie sat on the floor. A blanket had been tucked over them at some point, keeping them comfortably warm. Frisk pushed themselves into a sitting position with a yawn, blearily wiping at their eyes. _"Is there any chance that you kept track of time, Chara?"_

A derisive snort. _"I'm a ghost, not a watch."_

 _"What?"_

There was a long pause and Frisk began to think that Chara wasn't going to respond at all. Then, _"I... Don't want to talk about it. How about you go see what Toriel's up to."_

If there was a tinge of desperation to that distraction Frisk chose to ignore it, sliding out of bed and stretching with another yawn. The first thing they did was pick up the pie, a small smile tugging at the edges of lips. "Thanks, Toriel." They murmured quietly, taking a careful bite of the dessert. Butterscotch and cinnamon bliss spread over their taste buds, earning a happy "Mmm," from the child.

 _"Best. Pie. Ever."_ Frisk declared inwardly, setting their fork onto the plate as they got to their feet. They grabbed it so that they could take it to be cleaned.

They returned to the hallway with a wince. It was, unsurprisingly, much brighter than their room. The faint sound of fire crackling could be heard from the other side of the house. Frisk, suspecting that Toriel would be there, glanced around, set down their plate, and decided to snoop.

. . .

The first thing Frisk noticed about Toriel's room was its calming blue coloration. Almost everything was blue, making the potted golden flowers on top of her bookshelf far more surprising than they should have been. Frisk was _thrilled_ to see that these flowers didn't have faces. The smell of something slimy mingled oddly with the smell of flora and pie, creating a aroma purely Toriel. It was nice.

Frisk approached Toriel's desk with a thoughtful hum, sparing the bucket of snails a glance that left them frowning. The snails looked like something that should be used in a potion, not abandoned in a bucket until they were (probably) baked into a pie. A book - A diary, maybe? - sat on Toriel's desk, a red circle of ink catching their gaze. It turned out to be a skeleton pun so bad that _Frisk and Chara_ groaned. The _whole page_ turned out to be filled with bad puns and even the idea of learning new information about Toriel couldn't motivate them to subject themselves to more puns. Frisk turned their attention to the boss monster's bookshelf.

They plucked a book (Subterranean Plants, An Encyclopedia) off of the shelf and flipped it open, bringing them to a page about the Typha, more commonly known as the Water Sausage. _"So, they're an Underground equivalent to Cat Tails?"_ Frisk asked Chara as they careful returned the book to its spot on the shelf.

 _"Pretty much. Water Sausages are edible though,_ _ **and vegan**_ _!"_ Chara snorted in amusement.

Frisk blinked. _"Well, yeah, they're plants. Why wouldn't they-"_

 _"Marketing joke, person makes a painfully obvious and stupid observation and the thing sells better. It's like saying water doesn't have any calories."_

"Ah." Frisk gave the bookshelf a once over, decided they'd need to ask Toriel if they could read her books, and went to go investigate the goat monster's dresser. Opening the drawer revealed Toriel's socks.

 _"Oh my- Frisk, what the hell are you doing!"_ Chara yelped, prying their attention away from what Frisk was seeing.

 _"Uh, looking at Toriel's socks, I guess. Why?"_

Chara sputtered incoherently for a few seconds, then, _"Think of socks like the monster equivalent to underwear."_

Frisk quickly pushed the drawer shut, leaping away from it as if it had burnt them, cheeks flushing. _"Oh, uh, sorry Chara. Should I apologize to Toriel?"_

 _"That would literally only make this situation even more mortifying."_

They gave a quick nod in agreement and turned to leave Toriel's room, stepping back into the hall with cheeks that were still brilliantly pink. One of the plants in the hall, they noted with a smile, was a Water Sausage. They picked up their plate, and padded back into the main room of Toriel's house. They paused, glancing around for a better look at the room now that they wouldn't be rudely ignoring Toriel. A bookshelf that appeared to be lined with old calendars sat near the staircase and Frisk made a mental note to check those out. Did monsters use a different calendar system? And how did they keep track of time underground? Was the Underground big enough that it would reach multiple time zones above ground?

After stepping outside and saving again ( _"Do you really want to take that nap again if something happens and you need to Load?"_ ) Frisk entered the room to the left, bringing Toriel back into sight. The child's attention was, however, focused on the large bookshelf in the corner. _"Hey, Chara?"_ Frisk began, their thoughts racing.

The other child hummed in a questioning tone.

 _"I can Load even if I don't die, right?"_

 _"Yeah."_ Suspicion colored Chara's answer.

 _"So, in theory, I could use that power to read all of the books in Toriel's house without wasting any time to get back above ground, right?"_

 _"Well, yes...?"_ They trailed off, confused and not sure how to respond to Frisk's chain of thought.

 _"I'm gonna read all of these books."_

 _"Frisk, no."_


	10. Chapter 10, Accidental Magic

**Author's Note: Look, cover art! I decided that it was probably time to throw something together for this story because Neji in drag doesn't really represent it. I'm am oddly exited about it so I thought I'd point it out.**

 **In response to The Man's review, since I can't respond to guests via PM; The sock drawer is actually based on canon content (** _ **You peek inside... Scandalous! It's Toriel's sock drawer.**_ **)! Chara's comment about socks being the monster equivalent of underwear is based partially on this and partially on the dialogue from the Shyren battle (** _ **The crowd tosses clothing. It's a storm of socks.)**_ **. I think there was an issue with people throwing articles of clothing (mainly underwear) at bands they liked? Can't remember where I saw something about that being a thing for the life of me though.**

 **Either way, I'll** _ **Get on with it!**_ **and stop rambling now.**

Five Loads later Frisk sat comfortably in Toriel's lap, reading a book on monster history while the Boss Monster read 72 Uses for Snails (Frisk had asked to read that book during their second "day" with Toriel, a request the monster had happily agreed to). Chara was currently giving Frisk the silent treatment, the last words the two had exchanged having occurred during their third "day" in the Ruins ( _"I can not believe you!" "What?" "Don't you what me! You have the power to_ _ **time travel**_ _and you're using it to read!" "What's wrong with that?" "Ugh! You're impossible."_ ). Yawning, Frisk debated Loading again. Flowey had been irritated enough by it - they hadn't even known he was aware of Saving and Loading - that he'd actually shown up _inside Toriel's house_ to tell them to knock it off. Toriel had driven off the plant quickly enough, but it still made them feel bad.

Toriel seemed to have realized that something was happening too. She'd mentioned a strong sense of déjà vu during their third Load, slightly before Frisk's argument with Chara. Which, now that they thought about it, was awfully convenient timing. Had Chara been upset that Toriel was beginning to notice the Loading? But why would they care? Were the powers of Determination a secret or did this have something to do with Toriel? The child decided that they'd need to ask Chara when they were speaking again.

Frisk yawned again, eyes watering. They blearily wiped at their eyes. Had a whole day passed again? Toriel laughed, gently taking the book from Frisk.

"I think it's time for you to rest, my child."

Pouting, Frisk shook their head. "I'm not tired." They made weak grabbing gestures for the book even though they knew the attempt to reclaim it would fail.

Smiling, the monster put both books down and scooped Frisk into her arms, the child giggling. "Well, hello Not Tired, my name is Toriel!" Frisk's giggles turned into laughter, tears forming in the corners of their eyes.

The fire - which wasn't actually hot, just pleasantly warm - flickered out as Toriel left the room, Frisk carefully cradled in her arms. They briefly wondered if Toriel had had children of her own at some point, but didn't ask. The empty room that they had been given spoke volumes about that - undoubtably painful - subject. The monster hummed a gentle melody that Frisk didn't recognize, probably a monster lullaby, as she walked. Carefully, Toriel pushed Frisk's door open and set them down on their bed. They were tucked under the covers with a quiet, "Good night, my child." and a gentle smile.

Nothing had changed between this Load and the last four Loads but Toriel's words still brought a smile to Frisk's face. None of their foster parents had ever been this kind and it was strange to feel so... Wanted. The child let their eyes fall shut, lips still tilted upwards in a small smile. As Toriel pulled the door shut Frisk drew upon the warmth of their soul - Determination - and Loaded.

. . .

Loading was a strange experience, especially when they weren't doing it after dying. When they had been dead the world just... Came back. Loading while they were still alive made the world feel like it was blinking, and when it blinked back they were suddenly in a completely different place and position. They didn't think it would ever stop being disorienting. After getting up - Suddenly standing when they'd _just_ been laying down did bad things to their balance - and dusting themselves off Frisk walked back into Toriel's house, dirty pie plate in hand once again.

With a small smile Frisk went to see Toriel, who was reading by the fire. The Boss Monster smiled when she spotted Frisk approaching. "Up already, I see?" Frisk nodded. "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share," Frisk beamed, "I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education."

While this news had caught them off guard the first time it didn't surprise them anymore. It had actually made sense when they thought about it.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to be a teacher." The monster paused, noting the glint of amusement in Frisk's eyes. "Actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. Still!" She made an odd face that Frisk would have called scary if they hadn't - essentially - spent five days living with the monster. "I am glad to have you living here," And there was the twisting guilt again.

How would they explain that they _needed_ to get back to the surface to Toriel? If they just disappeared their foster parent would be in trouble. Being a squib already put the man at a huge disadvantage, he hardly needed more issues with wizards.

Toriel seemed to notice that something was bothering Frisk, their expression had probably given them away, because she asked, "Oh, did you want something?"

Frisk forced their expression to be blank again. "I just wanted to know where the kitchen is." They gestured with the dirty plate.

The monster beamed, "Oh, it's right through the door behind me. Be careful, my child, the stove may still be hot."

Nodding, Frisk went and deposited their dishes into the sink, noting with amusement that the drain was clogged with fur. They turned to leave, then paused, pulling their wand out instead. _"What are you doing?"_ Chara asked, startling them. Their plate jumped, magic lifting and dropping it, and clattered loudly into the sink. Frisk winced, glad that the plate hadn't broken. They were rubbish at using magic to fix things.

 _"You're back! And I was, uh, about to unclog the sink's drain."_ Despite the flash embarrassment from dropping the plate Frisk found them-self smiling. They'd missed Chara.

The other child seemed to notice this, a flash of surprise from Chara being all they said about _that_. _"With magic?"_

Frisk nodded, focusing on the fur again, _"Yeah, I didn't get to use magic above ground. There are laws to keep people without magic from finding out about it and that means I can't practice much."_

There was a quiet, _"Huh."_ From Chara. The two children sat in silence for a few seconds, Frisk beaming when the fur floated out of the drain and spun into a neat ball. _"Why are the wizards hiding from other humans?"_ Chara eventually asked.

Frisk frowned. _"Have you heard of the witch trials? Witches and Wizards - and anyone else who people claimed to be magical - were hunted down and killed. Magicals didn't like that."_

A whirlwind of emotions from Chara. Frisk picked up on confusion and anger, but everything else was there and gone too quickly to identify. _"I'd have thought that they'd think of the wizards as heroes for what they did."_

The tone of Chara's thoughts were more than a little bitter. Frisk shrugged. _"The people who didn't think magic was evil for religious reasons were afraid of it so magicals went into hiding."_

Chara sighed. _"Humans are assholes."_

 _"Language, Chara."_

. . .

Frisk was sprawled in front of the fireplace, reading the monster history book with a small frown. On one hand, the book was fascinating, but on the other there was more than a little bitterness directed at humans within the pages. Especially magical humans. It made them worry a little. What would Toriel do if she found out that _they_ had magic? Gnawing their lip, Frisk turned the page and returned their attention to the book.

Eyes widening, Frisk closely examined a - beautify drawn - image of an old fashioned town. The picture depicted both monsters and humans living together happily, it's caption the name of the town. Frisk didn't recognize it, but it sounded like the kind of name magicals would use. It was... Jarring, knowing that monsters had been so closely involved with humans when most humans didn't even know they existed anymore.

 _"Hey, Frisk?"_ Chara's voice called, pulling some of their attention away from the book. Frisk projected the sound of humming inwards (and _that_ had not been easy to learn to do). _"Why do you do that? Use the word human where most would use people? I'm not complaining, it's just..."_ They trailed off with a flash of frustration, clearly not finding the right words.

 _"Most humans take longer to realize that you can be a person even if you're not human?"_

Chara's frustration faded, replaced by what was almost gratitude. It wasn't _quite_ the same emotion. _"Yeah. But you've already got it. Is it because you're young? I mean, you can't be older than ten."_

Frisk turned the page and winced. The peaceful image had been replaced with the same town, but it was _wrong_. The air in the image was thick with ash and dust, illuminated by the light of burning homes. Some of the street's cobble stones had been dyed red in what could only be blood. Something about the dust left Frisk feeling physically ill, as much as the blood did, though they couldn't explain why. The brunette quickly turned the page. _"I'm seven. And I guess it's not a problem because I've always thought that things that_ _ **think**_ _are people."_ They paused. _"Technically, there are magicals that aren't human too. Veela, werewolves, vampires, giants, some people will even argue that dementors are people."_

There was a flash or surprise and suspicion from Chara. _"Vampires are werewolves are_ _ **real**_ _?"_

They nodded, returning most of their attention to the book. _"Yeah. And while most giants aren't very smart they think and they can have children with humans. Can monsters and humans...?"_ Frisk trailed off. They weren't sure where children came from, but they knew that asking questions about it seemed to embarrass adults, and you had to love someone _very much_ to get a baby.

Chara, having followed Frisk's trail of thoughts, was snickering. _"You're too young to need to worry about that Frisk, trust me. But I don't know if monsters and humans can have children. I mean, you could ask Toriel but..."_

 _"I am not asking goat mom if humans and monsters can have children! She might think I'm flirting or something!"_

Chara was howling with laughter. _"Fine, fine. It might be in a book anyhow."_

A startled gasp from Toriel jerked Frisk's attention away from their conversation with Chara and the book. They looked up, brow creased in confusion. This was _different_. The child then followed the goat monster's gaze to see the tools, which were usually next to the fireplace, were hovering in the air.

Frisk took a startled breath of their own, noting that Chara had gone silent. Their stomach felt like a ball of lead and knots. _"Out of all the possible times, why did I have to have accidental magic now!?"_


	11. Chapter 11, Explanations

**Author's Note: First, please allow me to apologize for the unplanned hiatus. I was busy with school work and wasn't entirely sure how to write this chapter, leading to it being put off for far longer than it should have been without an explanation. Second, I've uploaded a second series set in the Raventale universe titled Raven's Feathers! This series will mainly be one-shots made from silly ideas I have that wouldn't make sense or would be out of character in the main series. Unless I state otherwise the one-shots will be noncanon but I thought I should mention the side series in case any of you wanted to check it out.**

 **With those messages out of the way, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for!**

 **-Midnathething**

With the acceptation of the fireplace, the room was silent. Frisk and Toriel stared at the floating tools with wide eyes, Toriel's shocked and Frisk's frightened. The magic keeping the tools suspended abruptly cut and the tools began to fall. Shouting something in a panic-laced voice Toriel waved one of her arms and shield of flames appeared above Frisk. The falling tools bounced off of the burning shield, clattering to the ground a safe distance away from the startled child. When the last of the tools had hit the ground the shield disappeared in a shower of sparks.

Frisk blinked a few times, heart pounding. Toriel had protected them. She might not know. The monster didn't hate them.

As if the goat-like monster could sense Frisk's thoughts her she turned to face them. "I am terribly sorry about that, my child." Toriel glanced towards her hands and stared for a moment. "I must have lost control of my magic. I did not intend to endanger you like that."

The guilt that had building since Toriel had taken them into her house multiplied and Frisk winced. Toriel was blaming herself for what had happened? They didn't want her to do that... _"Frisk, why don't you try telling Toriel about your magic?"_ Chara gently suggested.

A flash of alarm surged through their system and the child bit their lip.

Chara sighed. _"I know you don't like the idea but if something goes wrong you can always Load, right? So what's the harm in trying? Maybe it'll make you feel better too."_

They couldn't argue with Chara's logic. Still, _"What if she hates me?"_

 _"She won't. I promise."_

 _"Alright."_ Frisk swallowed back the lump that had formed in their throat and looked towards Toriel. While they had been speaking with Chara the monster had clearly begun to worry, her eyes shone with concern.

"Is everything alright my child? I do hope you can forgive me for my lapse in control." She asked upon upon realizing that Frisk had returned their attention to her.

Guilt and anxiety churned in Frisk's stomach and for a few moments they worried that they were going to throw up. When the feeling passed Frisk took a deep breath. "I'm not mad at you, it wasn't your fault."

Toriel blinked, clearly noticing that Frisk hadn't answered her question but not addressing it. Instead she asked, "What do you mean, my child?"

"I have magic too." Frisk answered, speaking as quickly as they could without slurring their words.

Blinking, Toriel took a couple of seconds to process what the child had said. Her eyes lit with surprise when the meaning of Frisk's words struck her. "But you're a human, how could you have magic?" Toriel's tone made Frisk suspect that the monster already knew the answer to her question. She must have wanted to hear Frisk say it themselves.

Frisk winced, took a deep breath, and answered with, "I'm a wizard."

Toriel was silent for a few seconds. Then she smiled, surprise fading from her eyes. "I see. In that case I'll have to makes changes to my lesson plans!"

"I, uh... What?" The child blinked, brow furrowing in confusion. "You're... Not mad at me? But wizards were the ones who sealed monsters down here!"

Eyes widening in understanding, Toriel's expression softened. "Is that what you were worried about?" Her voice was think with heartache, "While it is true that wizards are the ones who sealed monsters down here I do not hold that against you. It would be cruel and unfair of me to do so."

There was a pang of guilt from Chara. Instead of asking them about it though, Frisk allowed them-self to be pulled into a - eagerly returned - hug by Toriel. _"You were right, Chara. I do feel better."_

Frisk got the impression of a smile from the other child. _"I'm glad. And Frisk?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"I'm sorry about earlier, for being upset about you having magic. It wasn't fair of me."_

A small smile pulled at their lips. It wasn't okay, it had been unfair and the other child's reaction had stung, but they appreciated the apology. _"Thanks, Chara."_


End file.
